


Fix You

by BubbleDove



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Crying Keith (Voltron), Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 10:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbleDove/pseuds/BubbleDove
Summary: This is really self-indulgent; I'm so sorry, Voltron fandom.





	Fix You

Keith wasn’t fond of complaining, he never had been. He always had a tendency to put his own problems on the back-burner. The needs of his team and the needs of the Universe were far more important than the needs of one person. 

 It was that belief that kept him from voicing his concerns when he awoke to the awful feeling of illness. That telltale heavy head sensation, the chills that spread across his skin and left him a shivering mess despite being nestled in the soft, warm fabric of his bedding, and the painful churning feeling that panged throughout his abdomen. All the symptoms were there, he was clearly coming down with something.

 Muffling a cough with the palm of his hand, he kicked his blankets aside and sat up. A sudden dizziness overtook him, but he still had to force himself to get up and get dressed. He couldn’t be bothered to fix his hair though; he just couldn’t muster up enough strength to do it. It wasn’t really an issue, for him at least. Messy hair didn’t bother him at all, but it  _ did  _ bother Lance. While Keith  _ had _ become accustomed to Lance’s constant teasing, he didn’t think he’d have enough energy to phase out his voice today. Hearing whatever garbage that spilled out of the Blue Paladin’s mouth couldn’t be good for this pounding headache that didn’t seem to fade, but it was something he’d just have to deal with.

 When he entered the commons area, everyone immediately turned their gaze to the Red Paladin. All conversations seemed to cease as the team collectively looked him up and down, surveying him. It was difficult to ignore the red color dusted across his cheeks, the sluggish nature to his gait, and just how glassy his eyes appeared to be.

 They all murmured amongst themselves, but kept their voices so low that Keith couldn’t pick out exactly what they were saying. In fact, he didn’t  _ want _ to know what they were saying. He was content with staying in the dark. 

 Instead of taking a seat on the sofa with the other paladins, he stood in the corner, far away from everyone else. Part of it was because of his desire to avoid any and all questions; he wasn’t in a very social mood today and being crowded would just worsen his headache. But there was another part of him that didn’t want to get close simply because he didn’t want the rest of the team to wind up with whatever diseased he’d contracted.

 A sudden cough burst past his lips, echoing through the nearly silent common area. He was actually surprised at just how much it made his chest ache, he really  _ was  _ sick.

 “Uh, Mullet? You alright over there?”

Lance’s voice seemed to have a different tone to it than usual. Rather than a comedic mockery, his voice had an air of worry, and possibly even sympathy.  _ What in the world?  _ Lance absolutely  _ hated _ Keith, why would he suddenly care about him now? 

 With a pitiful wheeze, Keith just nodded his head in response to Lance’s question. It wasn’t like he could respond verbally, his throat still ached terribly; he wouldn’t be able to speak normally if he tried. 

 Despite the positive response, the team still looked concerned. Especially Hunk, who was always prepared to help anyone with  _ anything _ . But he knew better than to offer Keith help when he claimed he didn’t need it. And Keith was thankful, being crowded wasn’t exactly on his to-do list at the moment. 

 “Keith, are you sure you’re okay? You look a little feverish.” Shiro’s brows knit together in concern as he spoke. While his voice always had a soothing tone to it, it sounded extremely prominent today. 

 “I said I’m fine!”  Keith couldn’t keep the rage contained any longer, and it bubbled out of his mouth without warning. His only wish was for  _ peace  _ and  _ quiet,  _ yet everyone seemed to be ganging up on him. He knew they meant well, but all the constant pestering had made the pounding in his skull nearly ten times worse. 

 Pressing one hand to his throbbing temple and the other on his rapidly churning stomach, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room (to the best of his ability, at least. He was positively  _ drained,  _ and the lack of energy had made him rather slow and clumsy).

 He didn't get very far before a wave of dizziness overtook him. Without warning, his legs crumbled beneath his body. He didn't even have the strength to cry out, the only noise he made was a small groan that happened to fight its way out of his dry mouth. 

 Maybe it was the sudden downward movement, maybe it was the smell of food coming from the ship's kitchen; Keith wasn't sure what caused it. All he knew was that the nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach suddenly reached its peak, overpowering the pain of his throbbing headache. His body lurched forward violently as he dry heaved, his right hand tightly clamped over his mouth and his left hand cradling his stomach. 

 His eyes watered as he dry heaved a second time. Keith knew that he was going to vomit, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He felt far too weak to stand up, and doubted he could reach the bathroom before he tossed up the contents of his stomach anyway. 

  He moved his hand from his mouth, and let the excessive saliva drip freely down his chin; lurching forward once again as the yellowish liquid spewed from his mouth, splattering onto the floor of the castle hallway. His throat felt as if it was on fire as the thick fluid worked its way up his esophagus, causing his eyes to water even more than they had previously. The back of his mouth was overcome by an acidic, burning sensation that left him with tears streaming down his heated cheeks. 

 Once his stomach had finally emptied, Keith was nothing more than an exhausted, trembling mess. His entire body felt heavy and he had no energy left to move. In all honesty, he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the floor and sleep. The only real thing that kept him conscious was a searing headache still pounding in his skull. 

 Seemingly out of nowhere, the metal (Was it metal? That’s what he’d been calling it, but he wasn’t exactly sure of its true title. For all he knew, it could be some weird Altean space rock) doors opened with a loud clanking noise that echoed throughout the hallway, followed by footsteps.

 “Hey, Mullet! Shiro wanted me to come check on-  _ Keith!? _ ” With a loud, panicked gasp, Lance ran to Keith’s side with alarming speed. Once he reached him, he crouched down on the Red Paladin’s level and began to give him a quick look-over.

 “Woah...Keith, are you alright?” Lance sounded exceedingly concerned for Keith’s well-being. It was an understatement to say that Keith was shocked by Lance’s behavior. He was  _ bewildered _ , he was  _ perplexed _ , he….still hadn’t answered the question. 

  In an attempt to cease the Blue Paladin’s worry,  Keith nodded in agreement. It wasn’t the  _ greatest _ response, it was far from it, but he was simply too exhausted to form a legitimate sentence.  

 “Come on, Buddy. Use your words, talk to me.”  Lance carefully brushed the hair from Keith’s face, gingerly tucking it behind his ear.

 “My head hurts…”  Keith wasn’t really sure what made him open up like that, he usually kept all his ailments bottled inside him. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was terribly ill, and therefore not thinking correctly. Maybe it was due to the warm, comforting feeling that seemed to radiate off Lance. Either way, the word was out now. He half expected Lance to tease him for appearing so weak. 

 So it was safe to say that Keith was shocked when Lance suddenly stood up and held forth his hand in order to help Keith from the hallway floor. His hands were surprisingly soft and warm, very different from Keith’s cold and calloused ones. Slowly, Lance pulled him up, careful not to cause any further harm or discomfort to the Red Paladin. 

 “Can you walk okay?” Keith had never seen Lance act so  _ calm _ and  _ gentle.  _ While it was alarming, this patient and mature attitude Lance currently possessed eased Keith into a peaceful state. He felt safe. He felt cared for. But the calming presence of the Blue Paladin also worked to make him even sleepier.

 “M’fine. I can walk fine.” His speech was a little slurred, but the message seemed clear enough for Lance to decipher. The Blue Paladin nodded  and gently led Keith towards the bathroom down the hall, glancing back at him every few seconds to make sure he was still doing okay (Well, as okay as he can be. Given the circumstances.) 

  Once the pair reached the bathroom, Lance clicked on the light and gestured for Keith to sit down on the closed toilet lid.

 “Have a seat, Mullet” Lance flashed him a serene smile, showing the Red Paladin that he was only teasing, and truly had good-natured intentions. 

 Keith wasted no time in sitting down; the dizziness was easier to bear when he wasn’t standing upright. He patiently watched as Lance started to run water into the pristine porcelain sink. Once it had reached the desired temperature,  he reached up into the cabinet and pulled down a thermometer, a washcloth, and a black hair-tie.

  “I’m gonna pull your hair up. Is that alright?” 

Keith nodded in response to Lance’s question. He usually wasn’t the biggest fan of people touching his hair, but today was different. He didn’t feel well today, and therefore didn’t have the energy to care. 

Keith couldn’t help but feel completely and undeniably relaxed when Lance began combing his long fingers through his soft hair. It hardly even hurt when his hair was pulled back into a little ponytail, Lance had been  _ extremely  _ gentle with him; almost as if he saw him as fragile. 

  Keith yawned as Lance stepped back to admire his work, looking him up and down with the sweetest smile. Once he was satisfied, he took the baby-blue thermometer off the sink counter, and got down on his knees to be at eye-level with the Red Paladin.

 “Open your mouth for me.”

Keith did as he was told, opening his mouth enough for Lance to slip the device in under his tongue.

 “Hand it to me when it beeps, alright?” Lance instructed as he plugged the sink, allowing the basin to fill with tepid water.

 Keith didn’t respond to Lance, he just sat there in a feverish daze with his eyes slightly glazed over. He didn’t even realize the machine had sounded off until Lance gently plucked it from his mouth. 

 When the Blue Paladin viewed the flashing red numbers on the small screen, his brows furrowed in worry. This reaction made Keith panic a little, his temperature couldn’t possibly be  _ fatally _ high, right? If he died, they’d have to find a new Red Paladin, and there simply wasn’t enough time for that. 

 “103.6. It’s a little higher than I thought it’d be, but you’ll be perfectly fine.” Lance smiled warmly. It was like he’d sensed the other’s nervousness, and though it was bizarre, Keith was quite thankful Lance had accessed the situation. 

 “I’m gonna clean your face off a little, then you can go lie down. Okay?” 

Keith nodded and closed his eyes, “M’kay….” 

Within a few seconds, the cold fabric of the washcloth greeted the Red Paladin’s skin. It felt soothing against his burning cheeks, making him feel the slightest bit better. 

 “So, Uh...How long have you felt like this?” Lance asked as he re-wet the washcloth (Which had a surprisingly soft texture. Keith wasn’t sure what the fabric was, but he knew he enjoyed it.)

  “Since this morning.” Keith looked up to meet Lance’s concerned gaze. 

 “Keith...Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Lance froze, resting his washcloth covered hand against the left side of Keith’s face. 

 “I didn’t want to bother anyone.” Keith brought his gaze down to the white tiled flooring in order to avoid eye-contact with Lance. He’d finally realized just how foolish he’d been acting today. Everyone on Team Voltron is as sweet as sugar, it’s not like they’d be mad at him for taking a little break.

 “You didn’t want to bother anyone? Keith, you’re sick as a  _ dog _ . Nobody’s going to be upset with you for taking the day off. They wouldn’t be upset with you for taking a  _ few _ days off.” Lance’s statement further confirmed the fact that Keith’s decisions were nothing more than an act of stupidity. 

 Shaking his head, Lance moved his hand down Keith’s face in a caressing motion. As much as he hated to say it, Keith really enjoyed Lance’s touch. The coolness of the cloth, mixed with the gentle feeling of the Blue Paladin’s hand was comforting in some bizarre way. 

 “Come on, Mullet. You need to get in the bed.” Lance extended his hand towards Keith, offering assistance in helping him stand upright again. 

  Keith gently grasped onto Lance’s hand, accepting his offer. Once he stood, a powerful wave of dizziness swept over him. On reflex, he cast his arm out and latched onto Lance’s shoulder. 

 “You alright there, Mullet?” Lance smiled down at Keith, it was a playful kind of expression. Even though Keith was a little embarrassed by the situation, Lance joking mannerisms had a way of making even the most awkward interactions feel enjoyable. 

  “M’fine. Just dizzy.” Keith relinquished his grip on Lance’s shoulder, his face slightly redder than it had been before.

 “Come to my room then. I don’t mind if you lay down in there, it  _ is  _ a shorter walking distance after all.” Lance patiently waited for the Red Paladin to give him a response, he'd never force him into doing something he didn't feel like participating in.

 “..Sure.” While Keith  _ did  _ feel awkward about accepting the offer, he knew he honestly didn’t have the energy to drag himself down to his bedroom.

 Lance nodded and flicked off the light, before wrapping his hand around Keith’s wrist and gently tugging him down the hall. He made sure to move slowly in order to keep the Red Paladin from getting jarred around too much, causing another sudden attack of dizziness wasn’t really on his agenda today. 

 Once they reached their destination, Lance led Keith over to the bed instead of simply turning him loose at the doorway. Keith truly found the action quite considerate, he never really  _ had  _ someone to care for him like that. Sure, Shiro had done the job well...but that had only been for a few years. The rest of his time was spent being tossed around from foster family to foster family, each who gave him up within months due to his “ _ problematic behaviour _ ”. And while Shiro had repaired some of that damage, when he left for Kerberos, everything just snapped back into its old system. He’d hide his true problems from the Garrison professors, and continue on like he wasn’t suffering. And when he got kicked out? Everything suddenly got  _ worse _ . He was relying on  _ himself, _ he couldn’t ask for help even if he needed it. Then here was Lance, waiting on him hand and foot just to make sure he felt okay; And Keith didn’t even have to  _ ask _ . Lance just did it on his own, out of the kindness of his heart. And Lance had a much different way of handling things than Shiro did. They both acted lovingly towards him, but with Lance...it was a different kind of love. One that Keith had a difficult time putting his finger on. 

 He shook his head as if that would rid his brain of the sudden onslaught of thoughts, and climbed underneath the blankets that Lance had so graciously untucked for him. Immediately, Keith was overcome by a feeling of awe. Maybe it was just the intense exhaustion, but Lance’s bed felt far more comfortable than his own. With a small yawn, he pulled the blankets closer to his shivering body, and nuzzled against the pale blue pillow. 

 “Uh... Mullet? Aren’t ya gonna take off your jacket?” Lance inquired as he peered down at Keith, a smile scrawled across his face.

 Keith had completely forgotten about his jacket, he was so dazed when he'd gotten dressed this morning that he’d completely forgotten that he’d put it on. 

 With a whine, he sat up and began to peel the cropped jacket away from his body. It was quickly turning into a painfully long process, as he was too drained to perform even a simple task such as this. 

“Here.” As soon and Lance got the word out, he’d already advanced forward to put his hands on Keith’s body, helping him to remove the jacket he’d been struggling with. Carefully, he slid it down both of Keith’s shoulders before tugging it down his arms. 

 “...Thanks.” Keith lay back down and curled up in a ball beneath the blankets, trying to shake the awkward feeling that came along with Lance helping to undress him. 

 “I’m gonna go clean up that mess you made in the hallway, and grab you some ice water.  _ Oh! _ And I’ll see if Hunk will make you some soup. We’ve gotta get some food in you.”  And with that, Lance left Keith alone with his thoughts.

 He tried to push everything to the farthest corners of his mind so he could truly be at peace during the few moments of silence that he had by himself, but the attempt was futile. His thoughts kept returning to Lance, he just couldn’t refrain himself from lingering on how sweet the Blue Paladin had been today. Did the odd behavior actually mean something, or was Keith so lovesick that he mistook a simple act of kindness as evidence of romantic feelings.  _ Lovesick _ . Keith had just described himself as  _ lovesick _ for  _ Lance,  _ and as much as he wanted to reject the idea, he knew in his heart that it was true. He’d had an interest in him since they were only children at the Galaxy Garrison, but now that they were both older and  working with Team Voltron, that crush had been amplified. Watching Lance on the battlefield or working in the training deck had the ability to send Keith into a frenzy. His heart would pound at nearly a mile a minute, air would have a difficult time reaching his lungs, and he’d get so tongue-tied that he could hardly speak. Just the thought alone made his face flush a darker red than it had previously. Keith certainly had it  _ bad.  _

 His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Lance barged back into the bedroom; a bottle of water residing in his left hand, and a vial of something that resembled  _ Nyquil  _ in his right. He’d poured the water in a red, leak-proof cup in order to reduce the chance that Keith would spill its contents (which was fairly likely, due to the constant feverish shivers that spread throughout the Red Paladin’s body.)

  “Floor’s cleaned, food’s on the way, and I brought you a few things.” The Blue Paladin smiled as he placed the water and medicine on the bedside table.

 Keith wasted no time in downing the icy fluid, relishing in the feeling of frigid water washing across his dry tongue and down his burning throat. He drank with an odd desperation, it was like he’d never experienced the refreshing taste of water before in his life. After drinking nearly half the bottle, he closed the top and set it aside, wiping the excess fluid off his mouth using the back of his hand. 

 “Thirsty?” Lance chuckled as he shook his head.

“Mmhm.” Keith nodded, and slid further beneath the soft, cotton fabric of the blue blanket residing on Lance’s bed. 

 The room went nearly silent for a minute, the only noise being a slight wheeze produced by Keith as he struggled to breathe. Lance frowned at the pitiful noise, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. There was an air of sympathy within the way he looked down at him, but the emotion quickly switched over into a sweeter, loving gaze. The two young men stared at each other for a while; no words, no movements, just staring. Until now, Keith hadn’t realized just how gorgeous Lance’s eyes were. Sure, he’d always known they were some obscure shade of blue, but he’d never taken the time to truly analyze each and every feature. Until now, he’d never noticed just how much they sparkled and shimmered. Until now, he’d seen Lance’s eyes as  _ just  _ a shade of blue, but he was beginning to see them as something more spectacular. They weren’t just _ blue _ , they were a deep  _ Royal Blue,  _ and it was quickly becoming one of the most beautiful colours that Keith had ever seen.

 However, Keith couldn’t keep his focus on  _ only _ Lance’s eyes. He wound up letting his gaze wander downwards. He’d focus on his nose for a while, admiring the perky structure. Keith actually found the shape to be quite  _ cute _ , almost  _ attractive _ in a way. Continuing the slow downward decent, he let his eyes rest on Lance’s mouth. Just from  _ looking _ at his lips, Keith could tell just how soft & kissable they must be. Keith was hit by an overwhelming desire to pull Lance down on top of him, and slip his tongue into the boy’s mouth. The thought of a full-on make-out session with Lance set his heart aflutter in ways he couldn’t describe.

 A knock on the door interrupted Keith’s thoughts, and he was quite thankful. Whoever had knocked on the door had just saved him from a life-time of embarrassment that would come with getting himself all hot and bothered in front of Lance. However, nothing could stop the Red Paladin from watching the slight swaying of Lance’s hips as he went over to answer the door. There was just something rather attractive in the way the Blue Paladin moved, his legs were so  _ long _ and he moved so  _ gracefully.  _ Not to mention that those jeans he currently wore fit him rather tightly; nicely defining the curvature of his rear.

 Once Lance opened the door, he was greeted by Hunk, who had a bowl of soup on a  grey platter.

“I made you some chicken noodle soup, Keith.” The Yellow Paladin smiled warmly, “Well, it’s not actually chicken noodle soup because there’s no chickens in space.  _ But _ it tastes  _ exactly  _ like chicken noodle soup, I made sure of it.”

 Keith smiled weakly, and sat up as Hunk placed the tray upon his lap. His nose was rather stuffed, but Keith could still pick up the faint smell of chicken. He was so starved that even such an indistinct scent made his stomach growl and mouth water. 

 “Thank you, Hunk. It smells  _ amazing _ , I’m sure it’s delicious.” Hunk’s face lit up as Keith spoke, clearly overjoyed that he’d done something helpful.

 Keith lifted up the ornate metal spoon that Hunk had graciously included with the meal, and dipped it into the bowl.

 “Get well soon, Buddy.” Hunk called over his shoulder as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. Keith didn’t say anything in response, he just kept quiet and ate several spoonfuls of the soup, though it had little to no flavor.

 “Is it any good?” Lance piped up, breaking the silence that had enveloped the room for the past few minutes. 

 Keith simply shrugged, “I wouldn’t know, I can’t really taste it” He gestured to his stuffy nose as a non-verbal explanation. He watched as Lance nodded with a slight frown. Keith wasn’t sure if Lance was frowning out of sympathy for him, or because he himself couldn’t have any. Being slightly curious -and at the same time, feeling the need to repay him for his good deeds- Keith decided to test the waters.

 “If- If you’re hungry, you can have some. There’s a spare spoon on the tray.” Keith flashed a bashful smile, his cheeks turning a more vibrant red.

 Lance’s eyes widened a significant amount, clearly shocked that Keith would offer to share his food with him. Despite the confusion, Lance took a seat in front of the Red Paladin, and lifted a spoon from the tray. 

  Keeping his eyes on the bowl, Lance gulped down a few spoonfuls of soup. The expression on his face remained so blank that it was completely unreadable, and Keith was having a hard time deciphering how the other boy felt towards the meal. Maybe it really _ was  _ tasteless, and the lack of flavor wasn’t just due to his illness. Curiosity began to rise within him, and he found questions tumbling from his mouth before he even realized it.

 “So? Does it taste like chicken?”

“Not really. It tastes more like  _ lamb _ to me. I mean, it’s good, but it’s obviously  _ not _ chicken.” Lance prodded at a chunk of meat using the tip of his spoon, submerging it in the broth. 

 With a small sigh, Keith took another bite of the bland, tasteless food. He’d never  _ had _ lamb before, and therefore had no idea what it actually tasted like. Spending half his life in foster families that had no desire to put up with him, and half alone in the desert, meant that he never had the luxury of doing certain things; including eating other meats besides chicken, beef, and pork. 

 “It’s really soft and juicy, but  _ way _ firmer than chicken. The flavor’s pretty good, but it’s a little...gamy.” Lance commented as he took another bite, coincidentally answering Keith’s questions.

 While the Red Paladin didn’t have the best imagination, he  _ was _ able to formulate an idea of what the meat might taste like from Lance’s vague explanation. 

 “Maybe I’ll ask Hunk to make me another bowl once I get over this.” Keith said, placing his spoon on the platter to signal that he was finished eating for now.  He didn’t really eat a lot, partly because he didn’t really feel like it, and partly because he was a little worried about upsetting his stomach more than it already was. 

 “Done?” Lance asked, placing his own spoon on the tray. Keith nodded, lifting the tray from his lap and handing it to Lance. 

 “Stay here while I take this back to the kitchen, alright?” Lance got up from his seat on the bed, and carefully began carrying the tray towards the doorway. Once the Blue Paladin had exited the room, Keith groaned and fell back against the pillows. He still felt awful, and while eating  _ had  _ given him a little bit of his strength back, it still didn’t rid him of the heavy, drowsy feeling that had plagued him all day. He’d never felt so miserable in his life, he just wanted the feeling to go  _ away.   _ Whimpering slightly due to the pounding, throbbing pain in his head that had never really disappeared, he slid further beneath the blankets. Everything was beginning to pile on: the awful migraine, the uneasy feeling still lingering in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of heaviness that enveloped his small frame; it was becoming too much for him to handle. To make matters worse, all  this constant whining had driven his sick and fragile body to the point of tears. He just felt so  _ bad _ that he could hardly stand it; all he wanted to do was sleep, but he doubted that he could even do that. Forcing himself to keep the tears at bay just caused him a greater deal of pain. His already sore throat had begun to feel unbearably tight, each breath was incredibly shallow due to the dull ache in his chest, and his eyes felt as if they were  _ burning _ .   

   Salty droplets began to spill from his eyes; slowly cascading down his flaming cheeks and dripping off his chin. In all honesty, Keith had hoped that crying would release some of the pent up stress that lie within him, but it just made him feel even worse. Frustrated, he wiped a hand across his cheek in order to clear up some of the tears; but more streamed down, making it impossible to hide his pain.

 To make matters worse, he could hear Lance coming down the hall. Keith covered his face with his hands, praying that Lance would ignore the odd behaviour once he entered the room.

 “Sorry it took so long, Coran had some sort of- Keith?”

_ Busted _ . Lance had definitely realized that something was wrong; there was no hiding it now. He slowly removed his hands from his face, choosing to rest his head on them, as if they were a pillow. 

An audible gasp slipped from Lance’s mouth, the sight of Keith in the midst of crying seemed to shock him. In all honesty, Lance didn’t know how to react. He knew he had to work through the awkwardness of the situation, so he did the only thing he knew how to do, he let his “uncle instincts” take over.

  “Are-are you alright? Do I need to get Shiro?” He spoke softly, softer than Keith had ever heard him speak before.

 Despite the comforting tone, the Red Paladin didn’t say anything, he just shook his head. In complete honesty, Keith was scared to speak. He didn’t  _ want _ Lance to know that he was crying over something so  _ childish.  _ Grown adults didn’t cry over headaches and stomach pains, that behaviour was reserved for young children who didn’t understand what was happening to them. 

 Suddenly, Lance placed a warm hand on Keith’s trembling shoulder, eliciting a surprised gasp from the Red Paladin. The two boys briefly met eyes, before Keith shyly averted his gaze towards the carpeted floor. 

 Keith knew that he’d have to say  _ something _ , he didn’t have the heart to make Lance worry. Forcing another person to work themselves into a state of crippling anxiety went against Keith’s morals, he’d hate himself for the rest of the week if he terrified Lance by refusing to provide straight answers. He’d just have to suck it up and tell the truth, no matter how humiliating and childish the truth may be. 

 Swallowing hard, he forced himself to meet Lance’s worry-filled blue eyes.

  “M’fine. Just don’t f-feel well.”Keith was appalled at how slurred and stutter-y his voice sounded, and judging by the expression on Lance’s face, he was a little taken back as well.

  After a few moments of shock, the Blue Paladin flashed a sympathetic look, and leaned forward to wipe a few tears from the other boy’s eyes. It was a gentle motion, performed with more precision and care than Keith thought humanly possible. 

 “I know, I know. But you don’t have to cry. I can get you some medicine, and everything will work out fine. Okay?” Lance lifted up the medicine bottle that sat on the table, shaking it slightly as he spoke. 

 It was painfully obvious that Lance was just fumbling his way through the entire ordeal, and had absolutely no idea what he was doing or how in the world he was going to calm the other boy down. Despite this, Keith found the guidance and concern (even though both were nothing more than an act, and a quite poor one at that)  to be incredibly comforting. He couldn’t possibly even  _ begin  _ to deny that he was the most headstrong and naturally hot-headed member of Team Voltron, yet he found that there was something pleasant about having another person walk you through an overwhelming situation. Was he  _ relying _ on Lance to get through this? Absolutely not; but having a hand to hold onto was far better than dealing with things on his own.

_ A hand to hold onto.  _ The phrase made him giddy, and set butterflies astir in his stomach. The thought of holding Lance’s hand was exciting, despite it being an innocent gesture. He just couldn’t shake the idea of intertwining their fingers as they walked along a moonlit beach, perhaps sharing several kisses under the stars.

  “Keith? Did you hear a single word I just said?” Lance’s expression was laced with an intense amount of concern as he tapped Keith’s surprisingly bony shoulder.

 “Hmm?” Keith sounded sleepy, like he wasn’t in-tune with himself or the world around him. While part of his daze could be blamed on vivid daydreams that ripped him from reality, the main culprit was clearly the malicious fever whos numbers kept jumping higher and  _ higher _ in a steady climb.

  “I said that I’m gonna take your temperature before I give you any medicine. Did you really  _ not _ hear me?” Lance spoke as he dug through the pockets of his jacket, eventually retrieving the thermometer that he’d stashed away amongst several paper-clips, a few crumpled up pieces of paper with long-forgotten reminders, and a pen that didn’t write anymore. With a smile, he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Open up, Mullet.” 

  Keith happily obliged; the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could sleep. Closing his mouth around the cold, plastic device, he patiently awaited the ear-piercing beep that would surely upset his already pulsating head.

 Once it sounded, he removed the object from his dry, heated mouth. His vision was far too hazy for him to decipher the numbers that flashed on the small screen before his glossy, red tinted eyes. Clumsily, he extended his arm in order to hand Lance the small machine.

  When the Blue Paladin took the thermometer from Keith’s hand, his eyes widened in complete and utter shock. He really was an expressive boy, and Keith could read him as clearly as an open book. Seeing the look on his face sent a violent shiver down the Red Paladin’s spine; he supposed that it  _ was _ possible for him to be afflicted with some strain of a mysterious and fatal space illness, and the thought alone truly shook him to his core. 

 “What-” He swallowed down a thick mucus that had dislodged from his chest due to constant fits of ragged, violent coughing, “What’s the thermometer say?”  Keith’s speech was far more slurred than it had been earlier, making it hard for Lance to decipher exactly what he was saying.

 “Uhh..104.3.” Lance paused for a moment, only to resume when he noted the look of complete and utter terror on his “patient's” face. “But don’t worry, buddy! It’ll go down once I get some medicine in you.”

  “ _ Promise?” _ Maybe it was the dangerously high fever, maybe it was the cloudy mind that came along with it; Keith didn’t quite know for sure. It didn’t really matter the true cause, nothing could change the fact that Keith had looked Lance directly in his shimmering blue eyes, and made him promise that everything would be alright. In all honesty, he felt extremely childish for asking such a thing, even though he couldn’t quite comprehend  _ why.  _

  Lance didn’t seem too taken back by the behaviour that Keith displayed. It was most likely due to him  _ knowing _ that Keith was terribly ill, and hardly had enough strength to stand up, let alone think clearly enough to filter his thoughts; but that was just Keith’s first assumption. 

  “I promise you’ll be A-Okay once you get some rest, trust me on this one.” Lance tousled the other paladin’s dark hair as he spoke, a peaceful smile appearing on his face. 

  Keith allowed himself to buy into this belief, despite knowing that Lance probably had little to no idea how to deal with the situation at hand. It was nearly impossible to  _ not _ be comforted. Lance always sounded so  _ soft _ and  _ genuine,  _ at least, he did to Keith. Sure, the two boys bickered a decent amount, but he couldn’t deny that there was an overwhelming sense of love within his heart for the Blue Paladin. 

 “Here, sit up. I wouldn’t want you to get choked or anything.” Lance slipped a hand behind Keith’s back, helping him into an upright position. The pillows stacked against the small of his back helped to support his body a little, but he still leaned back in a ragdoll-esque fashion.

  Keith kept a careful watch as Lance unscrewed the cap (which seemed to double as a small cup.) off the vial, and poured its contents into the aforementioned lid. The medication smelled strongly of cranberries and some fruity scent that heavily reminded him of watermelon, which Keith could smell clearly despite his stuffy nose. Judging by the way Lance’s face had gone completely pale seemed to infer that the scent was  _ way _ stronger to him, and Keith didn’t even want to think about how much it must be burning the boy’s nostrils. His own eyes were watering, and he couldn’t even get the full experience; Lance must be growing nauseous from the fumes.

 “Drink up, Kogane.” Lance smiled as he placed the small cup in Keith’s frigid, trembling right hand. “Just be cautious. Coran said that stuff’s got a kick to it.”

 Surely it couldn’t be  _ that  _ bad; Keith knew for a fact that both Lance and Coran had a tendency to stretch the truth more than they probably should. Besides, Keith wasn’t known for having a weak stomach; even if it  _ did _ taste bad, it shouldn’t affect him. Or so he originally believed.

  When he downed the foul-smelling liquid, his body quickly made an attempt to reject it. The flavor was incredibly  _ sour _ and had one of the  _ strangest _ tastes he’d ever experienced. Keith retched, clamping a hand over his dry, cracked lips. His eyes stung with tears both from the strain of repetitive gagging, and from the acidic taste that burned in the back of his throat. He couldn’t  _ possibly  _ throw up right now, he’d make a complete mess of Lance’s blankets, and the Blue Paladin would  _ kill _ him. 

 “You good, Mullet?” Lance asked as he leaned over to rub a hand across the ill paladins back. It took a few seconds for the wave of nausea to subside, leaving Keith a pale, shaking mess.

 “I-” Using the back of his hand, wiped away the excess saliva that dribbled down his chin. “I think I’m okay now. Sorry about that.”

 “Don’t apologize, Mullet, you can’t help being sick. Just get a drink of water, it’ll help wash that nasty taste out of your mouth.” Lance reassured as he handed Keith what was left of his ice water (though most of the ice had melted away a while ago, leaving nothing but small flakes in place of the cubes)

 Keith happily accepted it, yet didn’t chug it down as he had previously, in order to keep from upsetting his stomach any further. 

 “Hey, would it be alright if I left you on your own for a minute?” Lance inquired as he stood up, already heading for the door. The softness seemed to have returned to his voice, making Keith feel incredibly mellow. 

 Finishing his drink, Keith returned the empty cup to the bedside table, “I don’t care if you leave, Lance. It’s not  _ your _ job to take care of me. I’ll manage just fine on my own.” Flashing a weak, yet warm smile, Keith resumed a reclined position on the bed; this time opting to lie flat on his back rather than on his side. 

 “Copy that.” Lance stated with a playful smirk as he slid out the door. 

Once again, Keith was left in the still quietness of Lance’s empty bedroom. He was beginning to grow terribly lonely as the minutes ticked by, and yet Lance still hadn’t returned. Keith knew from watching the clock on the wall that it had really only been around five and a half minutes since the other boy had left, but this fever had twisted his mind into such a powerful stupor that minutes honestly felt like hours. The way that time dragged by at a snail’s pace, coupled with the heavy feeling that had encompassed his body for the entirety of the day, made his eyelids feel unbearably weighted. Unable to hold them open any longer, he allowed his body to do whatever it pleased. Slowly, his eyelids drooped, shrouding the world in darkness. 

 He’d nearly succumbed to his desire- no, his  _ need _ \- to sleep, when he heard the door slide open with a metallic clank. On instinct, he sat up, eyes wide open. It was like his weakness and exhaustion had vanished as a survival instinct, though it was short lived. Keith was quickly enveloped by a powerful dizziness that was so intense that it blurred his field of vision. It passed nearly as soon as it began, allowing Keith to seek out who- or what -had jarred him from his slumber.

 He didn’t have to search for long before his eyes fell on Lance; who stood in the doorway with his jacket tied around his waist, and holding a medium sized mint green bowl of something Keith presumed to be water. 

 “I’m back, sorry if I startled you when I came in. The door was a little jammed.” Lance flashed an awkward smile, closing the door with his foot as he spoke.

  “You didn’t scare me.”  _ Lies.  _ Being so quick to deny his fright definitely arose suspicion, but Lance didn’t comment on it. The Blue Paladin simply shook his head and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

 “I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Lance asked as he absent-mindedly brushed the locks of hair that had slipped out of the ponytail behind Keith’s ear. 

 “No.” Keith stretched mid-sentence, his spine popping as his arms went over his head, “What’s in the bowl?”

 “Just some cold water. I thought wiping your face off with it might help your fever go down a little. It might not do much, and I understand if you’re too tired to-”

 “Lance.” Keith cut the Blue Paladin off, looking up into his blue eyes with a compassionate gaze, “Anything helps, and I’m sure this will too. Thank you.”. The Red Paladin smiled, his lips parting to reveal his teeth (Which were slightly pointed due to his Galra ancestry, but not too drastically.)

 Upon seeing the look on the boy’s face, Lance averted his eyes to the floor, his face turning nearly 10 shades of scarlet. Unable to keep his anxieties at bay, Keith promptly closed his mouth under the assumption that something was  _ abnormal _ about the way in which he smiled (Of course, he was  _ way _ out of the ballpark with that one, but it was impossible to convince him that he was wrong.). He tried to distract himself from the worry by watching Lance carry on about his work. 

 The Blue Paladin removed a cloth from the bowl, and began to ring it out. It felt unbearably cold to him, but he had a hunch that it would probably be soothing to his feverish... _ friend? _ Could he consider Keith a friend? Sure, they were teammates now, working together in order to reach a common goal, but Lance had referred to Keith as his rival for  _ years _ . But, then again, that had been before he really knew Keith. Now that the two had bonded a little, Lance could honestly say (though he’d probably never admit it) that he’d grown to enjoy Keith’s company. He’d grown to like the boy. No, he’d grown to  _ love _ the boy; and he wasn’t entirely sure if it could be safely classified as  _ only _ a platonic kind of love. 

 “Lance, you’re dripping water all over the blanket.” Keith commented as he sleepily gazed up at Lance, eyelids drooping enough to partially shield his bright, grey eyes. 

 “Oh, Uh.” Lance shook his head, awkwardly clearing his throat. “I must have spaced out for a second, sorry about that.” He made up for the lost time by quickly covering his hand with the cloth, and placing it on Keith’s crimson forehead, eliciting a small jolt from the Red Paladin. Immediately, Lance grew concerned, “Is it too cold for you?”

  “M’fine. It’s not too bad, I just wasn’t expecting it to be  _ that  _ chilled.” Keith sighed contently, “But don’t change it, it kinda feels good.” It was true; the icy fabric felt  _ heavenly _ against his blazing skin. 

  Nodding, Lance began to massage the cloth across Keith’s face, moving in sections. Starting at his forehead, he wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on the boy’s hairline. Once he was finished there, he began to move the cloth downwards, cooling Keith’s blushing cheek. It was slightly reminiscent of a caress, and simply acknowledging the clear comparison was enough to set Keith’s heart fluttering at an alarming speed. Lance was  _ caressing _ him, he’d wanted this moment for so long. He’d actually craved this for such a lengthy amount of time that it was nearly impossible to keep his body from reacting to the sensation; his body seemed to act on reflex, causing him to lean into the caress without giving it another thought. 

The Red Paladin could hardly believe that he’d allowed himself to act on a fantasy in such a noticeable manner, eventually growing so embarrassed that he opted to keep his eyes closed and force the whole situation from his mind. 

 Upon hearing Lance giggle, he just squeezed his eyes tightly shut from the intense humiliation that suddenly swept over him. 

  Despite Keith’s obvious discomfort, Lance continued to work. He’d moved on from Keith’s right cheek, and began to rub the frigid cloth across his lips and chin. Seeing as the Red Paladin was completely delirious from his high fever, he’d begun to drool a little. However, Lance didn’t seem to mind, he just wiped it away without giving it a second thought. 

  After dousing the cloth in the bowl of water (which was surprisingly still cold), Lance leaned forward in order to reach Keith’s left cheek. The Red Paladin suddenly gasped, his eyes flying open, as he felt Lance place his hand atop his own. While Keith knew that it was most likely nothing more than an attempt to balance himself, he still felt like his heart had leaped into his throat. 

 It was needless to say that Keith nearly choked on his next inhale when Lance intertwined his fingers with Keith’s. In absolute disbelief, Keith slowly looked up, meeting eyes with the other boy (who’s hand still remained on his left cheek, though the cloth wasn’t exactly wet anymore), who had a look in those stunning royal blue eyes of his that could only be described as  _ love _ .  _ Romantic Love.  _

 For the longest time, the two boys simply stared into each other’s eyes: not speaking, hardly breathing, just drinking in the sight of each other’s gorgeous faces. They soon found themselves gravitating towards each other, and it wasn’t long before the two were merely inches away from one another; so close that Keith could (despite his stuffy nose) smell the scent of spearmint gum that lingered on Lance’s breath. 

 Lance lifted Keith’s head up a little (an action which the Red Paladin would never even  _ think _ about rejecting), tilting it so he’d have better access to the boy’s chapped, pink lips.

The kiss could have been better. Keith was incredibly inexperienced, seeing as this was his  _ first _ kiss, which meant that he’d probably ruined the entire thing for Lance. But the Blue Paladin didn’t seem to mind, he just continued to work those soft, plump lips of his in a passionate fashion. Keith had been correct in his previous assumption that Lance would be an astounding kisser, though he didn’t exactly have any data to base what a ‘good kiss’ was like.

  Once they separated, Keith found himself panting. He wasn’t entirely sure whether this exhaustion stemmed from illness, or from Lance’s mind-blowing make-out skills; though he was willing to bet that it was a little bit of both. 

 After a moment's silence, Keith was the first one to speak. “Sorry if that didn't exactly live up to your expectations, I'm not the greatest when it comes to things like this.” an awkward smile spread across his face.

 “I mean, it could have been better, considering you're, y’know,  _ sick _ and stuff. But you're not  _ bad _ , you could just use a little practice.” Lance gave a flirtatious smile, raising his eyebrow as if he was expecting some form of response.

  Keith, being the socially inept outcast he was, had to process the words for a  _ painfully _ long amount of time before he  _ finally _ caught on to the meaning behind them. Once it clicked, a smile fell across his face, and he seemed completely overjoyed, but he didn't dare respond out of fear of saying the wrong thing.

 

***

 

The next few hours went by rather swimmingly, which was quite surprising given the awkward interaction the two had shared previously.    
 Keith had fallen asleep shortly after Lance took the bowl of water to the castle kitchen, which meant that his role as 'doctor' was finished until the boy woke up.   
 He didn't really want to abandon Keith, that felt like betrayal. What if the boy suddenly needed him? It was a perfectly rational worry, considering that the red paladin  _ was _ violently ill, but Lance knew that he couldn't just sit around and watch Keith sleep. That seemed a little too stalker-esque; even if Keith  _ did _ resemble a little porcelain doll when he was sleeping. It sounded like an obscure- possibly even creepy- thing to say about someone, especially if they were asleep, but it was a true statement. The way his long eyelashes rested against his rosy cheeks, how he remained perfectly still despite the fact obvious fever dreams plagued his illness-destroyed brain, every single detail about the boy's sleeping frame was  _ heavily _ reminiscent of a doll.   
 Yes, the desire to stay behind with the sleeping paladin was strong, but Lance's extroverted instincts were practically  _ screaming _ at him. He'd spent nearly the entire day alone with Keith, and while that  _ was _ a dream come true, he was beginning to miss his teammates. Sure, he'd seen them this morning, but since then, his contact had been greatly diminished down to only a few fleeting moments of interaction between each paladin. Lance craved more, he'd bore himself to death otherwise.   
 So, he quietly snuck out of the bedroom, taking care not to wake Keith. Lance would never forgive himself if he awoke him when he so desperately needed rest,  for he'd never lull the boy back to sleep. Despite the noise risk, Lance did leave the door open so he'd hear if Keith called for him.   
 Staying silent, the blue paladin crept down the hallway. His goal was to reach the common area without making a sound; a feat which was nearly impossible with the creaky floors of the ancient ship. He'd managed to accomplish it, though only barely. The only person sat in the common area was Pidge, who lay sprawled out across the sofa with a laptop resting upon her stomach. As per usual, there was a strange coding flashing upon the screen.   
 "Whatcha doin', Pidge?" Lance climbed over the couch's armrest and took a seat  at Pidge's sock-clad feet (said socks were a lovely shade of coral that nicely complimented the green shades in her jacket)   
 Leaning her head back in an exasperated sigh, she placed the device aside on the table next to her. "I'm trying to get some sort of insight on Keith's illness, but I've encountered a bit of a problem."   
 "What kind of problem?" Lance inquired, leaning slightly to the right in order to get a better view of her laptop screen.   
  "The disease seems to be specific to the Galran race, so all the webpages are written in Galra! That means I have to convert every single page of information I can get my hands on into English. It's kind of a lengthy process." She yawned, cracking her knuckles, "I'm gonna be here all night."

 Lance nodded, watching the green ‘progress’ bar inching across the computer screen; it was currently at 57%, and seemed to be moving at a snail's pace. “Do you have  _ any _ details yet?” 

  “Only a few. The disease behaves kind of like the flu virus, and it's  _ extremely _ contagious. He could have picked it up anywhere; possibly a base we've infiltrated in the past few weeks?” Pidge sat up completely straight, stretching with a small groan. 

 “It's not gonna kill him,  _ right _ ?” There was a clear sense of panic in Lance's voice, though he tried to disguise it by clearing his throat. 

  Pidge smiled sympathetically, “I don't have all the facts, but I don't  _ think  _ it's fatal. It seems fairly unlikely, considering just how common it is, but I'll let you know when I find out.”

 Lance sighed in relief, his body visibly relaxing. Sure, it wasn’t a definitive answer, but hearing her say that was  _ extremely  _ calming. Part of him wanted to stay with Pidge and learn everything he possibly could about Keith’s ailment, but he knew his presence along with his constant pestering might prohibit her from getting any research completed.

 Before he could get up and move on somewhere else, Shiro poked his head through the door that connected the common area to the dining hall, clearing his throat in order to catch the attention of both the Blue and Green paladins. “Dinner’s on the table. Lance, could you bring Keith down to eat?”

 As much as Lance hated the idea of waking Keith from his much-needed nap, he knew the Red Paladin needed to eat in order to regain his strength (Sure, he’d had the soup that Hunk had given him previously, but he didn’t really eat much of it), so he obeyed his leader’s orders; setting off down the hall.

 Upon reaching his room, Lance was a little dismayed to see that Keith was still in an incredibly deep slumber. Lance  _ really _ didn’t want to wake the boy, what if he got mad? Taking a deep breath in preparation for one of Keith’s sudden outbursts, Lance reached down to shake his left shoulder. 

 The Red Paladin stirred almost instantly, making an incoherent noise of confusion as he lifted his head from the pillow. Lance was honestly a little taken back by just how vulnerable and innocuous he appeared to be in the current moment. Despite the factor of adorableness in his appearance (Lance couldn’t lie, the disheveled nature of Keith’s hair was sort of endearing), he also seemed remarkably fragile and languid. Dark blemishes lined the area beneath his eyes, his face seemed far paler than ordinarily, and his skin was unusually clammy. Lance felt sympathetic for him, and wanted to let him rest for a while longer, but Shiro  _ had _ asked him to fetch Keith for dinner. 

 “Are- are you feeling  _ any  _ better?” Apprehensively, Lance took a seat on the edge of the bed. He knew it was a rather vacuous comment to make, considering just how weary the Red Paladin truly was. He wasn’t even surprised when Keith pitifully shook his head in response, making a miserable whining sound. 

  “What time is it?...” Keith’s voice had a raspy tone to it, as if it was on the verge of fading into complete silence.  

  “Around 5? I don’t really know for sure. I’m only waking you up because Shiro wants you there for dinner” Lance paused for a moment; partly to catch his breath, and partly to read Keith’s expression. Much to his shock, Keith didn’t say anything whatsoever, he just curled into a smaller ball. “C’mon, Mullet”, Lance sighed, “You’ve got to eat  _ something _ .”

  Keith simply whimpered, snaking an arm around his aching stomach. “M’tired. I don’t feel like it.” It was true; he’d just woken up, and already felt worse than he had before. If anything, he’d rather sleep for the rest of the day. 

 “Well, I can’t just  _ leave _ you here by yourself, who  _ knows _ what might happen? Besides, everyone’s  _ worried _ about you. Do you want me to just  _ carry _ you down there?” The last statement was made as a joke, but after Lance uttered the words, he realized that it wasn’t such a bad idea (As long as Keith consented, of course.)

 There was absolutely  _ no way  _ that Keith would give up that opportunity, first a kiss, and now  _ this? _ It was almost too good to be true!  Lance (Thankfully; Keith would have killed over on the spot if Lance had forced him to verbalize his wishes) took Keith’s silence as an agreement, and gently lifted him from the bed. 

  The manner in which he was carried was almost like a cradle; one of Lance’s arms supported his back, while the other acted as a prop for his legs. It was actually quite comfortable, and he’d quickly come to the conclusion that Lance made for a phenomenal pillow. Closing his tired eyes, Keith began to focus only on the Blue Paladin’s steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat; he probably could have drifted off to sleep once more if his surroundings had stayed totally silent, but that clearly wasn’t meant to be. The instant that Lance entered the dining hall with Keith cradled in his arms, everyone  _ freaked out.  _

 Shiro was the first to say anything, jumping up from his char with a worry-laced, “Is he alright?”. From there, everything fell into total chaos. Everyone began  _ yelling  _ over one another in a blind panic, it was migraine inducing. Keith couldn't focus on one singular voice, they all seemed to blend into one indecipherable sound.

_ Finally _ , Lance found an opening in the conversation  ( _ if you could even call it that _ ) to cut them all off. “He’s okay, just doesn’t feel all that great. Right?” He nudged Keith in order to get a reaction.

 The most he received was a nod and an unintelligible murmur (Lance  _ thought _ it sounded like “I’m fine, leave me alone.”, but he couldn’t be entirely sure.), but it seemed like enough to calm the team down.

 Lance gently let Keith down, allowing him to walk (albeit a bit clumsily) to his usual spot at the table. Everyone eyeballed him like they were scared he’d suddenly crumble to dust on the floor. He didn’t, of course, but his intense shaking made it seem rather plausible.

  Lance tried to keep his worry-filled thoughts about Keith at bay by focusing all of his attention on the spaghetti that Hunk had prepared for the team. It was expertly crafted with a variety of delectable spices mixed within the sauce. A piquant plant took the place of meatballs (Lance compared the texture to celery, and the flavour to that of a red pepper.)

  Keith wasn’t exactly enjoying the meal as much as Lance was (or anyone  _ else  _ for that matter). What little flavor he could taste was  _ far _ too powerful, and upset his already aching,  _ churning  _ stomach. Not to mention that he could hardly gather enough energy to actually eat it, and was forced to prop his head up on his hand in order to keep it from uncontrollably tilting to the side. He was honestly  _ struggling,  _ and wanted nothing more than to push his plate aside and fall asleep on the spot, but he  _ knew  _ he  _ had  _ to eat. Eating would replenish his strength, and he needed as much strength as he could possibly gather.

 Keith forced himself to eat almost half the plate, which wasn’t really a lot, but it  _ was  _ filling. The only problem was that it drained all of what little energy he had. The voices at the table seemed distant, and they all bled into one another. His head was  _ spinning,  _ his eyes were  _ unbearably heavy _ , he was  _ exhausted.  _

  “You wanna go back to bed, Mullet?” Lance asked, his voice shrouded by giggling. Sure, it seemed mighty rude to laugh, but Keith’s expression, paired with his body language, was quite entertaining. The boy honestly looked  _ dead _ . His eyes were only opened half-way, his body had lazily slumped to the side, and a thin stream of drool was slowly creeping down his chin. In some bizarre way, it was actually kind of  _ cute;  _ and Lance had to keep his head tilted downward in order to hide the blush that crept across his face.

  Keith didn’t waste any time in replying to the question. Though he’d only used a simple nod of his head, the non-verbal confirmation seemed to be enough for Lance, who was already climbing up from his seat.

  Before Lance even reached him, Keith turned sideways in his chair, gripping the table in order to stabilize himself enough to stand.

 “Don’t.” Lance put forth a hand, motioning for Keith to resume his seated position, “I’ll carry you back. I wouldn’t want you to fall.” 

  Keith (his brain clouded both by fever and by a strong lovesick feeling for Lance) absentmindedly stretched his arms up like a small child would, making it easier to pick him up. The juvenile behaviour didn’t seem to bother Lance at all, considering he just lifted the Red Paladin up from the seat and resumed cradling him. 

  Everyone  _ else _ , on the other hand, had a shocked expression scrawled on their face. While it seemed rather rude to stare, their reactions could be justified. Keith  _ never  _ behaved in an affectionate manner, so it was a rather large shock to see him so eager to be carried.

  Keith had a clear enough mind to be aware of all the murmurs and stares coming from the table. All whispers were about him, of course, and Allura was being a tad too loud when asking her rather insensitive questions. He gave a humiliated whimper, and buried his face in the Blue Paladin’s shoulder. Thankfully, Lance acted quickly, promptly whisking Keith out of the dining hall upon. Tousling Keith’s dark hair (Which had fallen from its ponytail while he slept, leaving it an unruly mess) , he softly hushed the distressed noises slipping past the boy’s lips. 

 Keeping his eyes tightly shut, Keith clung to Lance’s jacket as they made their way down the hall. The trip back to the bedroom seemed a great deal shorter than it had been before, and at first, Keith wondered if his feverish, hazy mind was to blame. It was only once they reached the bedroom that Keith realized his initial assumption was correct, the trip  _ was  _ shorter because he was being returned to his  _ own _ bedroom. 

 “I -uh-  thought you might like it better in here. It should be more comfortable than mine, considering it’s your own.” 

  “M’kay...”   Keith was truthfully too exhausted to protest, so he just agreed, albeit sleepily.

With a warm smile, Lance gently placed Keith down on the unmade bed (Keith had been too sickly to properly tidy it when he woke up), carefully tucking him in. 

 “Try not to fall asleep, okay? I need to check your temperature before you get too comfy.” Lance grinned at Keith, his gaze lingering upon the boy’s blue-grey eyes. It was the first time they had dared to make direct eye-contact since they’d shared a kiss, and it was just as awkward as Keith had expected it to be. He was _confused_. _Did_ Lance love him, or was he just playing around when he kissed him? The Blue Paladin was known for his antics, but _surely_ he wouldn’t joke about _this,_ right? _Right?!_ Keith supposed it was impossible to know without asking, but there was _no way_ he’d bring that up. It was far too weird, and he wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not yet. Not ever. If he had to live in the dark until he died, then so be it. 

   Keith shook his head, he couldn’t dwell on things like that, he had more important things to focus on. Things like whether he’d survive this disease, especially being out here in the middle of nowhere with little to no medical supplies.  _ What if I die tonight.  _ It was a thought that had been lingering in the back of his mind since he’d woken up for dinner, feeling worse than he had all day. The more he thought about it, the faster his heart beat, but it wasn’t a pleasure-filled feeling (Like the increased heart-rate he experienced when Lance talked to him). It was a feeling of panic, he felt like his heart might just explode out of his chest.

   Thankfully for Keith, Lance came back before he exceeded his limit and tumbled into the dark, confusing world of blind fear (He never really had been good with handling fear. It took a good deal of effort to genuinely frighten him, but once he was successfully scared, it took a while for him to calm himself down). There was something about Lance that naturally soothed him. He just felt  _ safe  _ in the Blue Paladin’s presence, like no harm could befall him. 

  “You good, Mullet? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Lance chuckled as he took a seat on the edge of the bed, a thermometer clutched in his right hand. 

 “M’fine. Just don’t feel good.” Keith murmured as he rolled over onto his back, sniffling. Heavy eyelids drooped as Lance inserted the plastic device under Keith’s tongue. It felt cold in his mouth, but he didn’t dare complain. He was intelligent enough to know that the more he squirmed and resisted, the longer it would take. It was best to get it over with, even if it was rather uncomfortable.

  It didn’t take long for the ear-piercing beep to sound, making Keith’s ears ring. Lance, however, didn’t seem to be phased by the noise in the slightest. Maybe the Galran blood that coursed through Keith’s veins heightened his sense of hearing, or maybe he was just more sensitive to sound now that he was sick (It was most likely a mix of both, but you couldn’t tell  _ him  _ that. He was dead-set on believing that Lance was just deaf as an adder). Either way, it made his head ache  _ terribly.  _

__ Lance quickly sensed Keith’s discomfort, and withdrew the thermometer from the boy’s mouth. As Lance viewed the small numbers flashing upon the screen, his forehead creased in worry. 

  Within mere  _ seconds _ of noticing the expression scrawled on the Blue Paladin’s face, Keith’s blood pressure shot through the roof.  _ How bad is it? Am I dying? Oh my god, I’m dying!  _ The thoughts circulated in Keith’s brain on a seemingly endless loop until he felt  _ nauseous  _ (Well, more-so than before). 

  “What’s it say?” Keith's voice was disgustingly nasal due to the thick mucus that filled his nostrils, but not so much that it was unintelligible.

  “101.4. It could be better, but you’ll live.” As Lance spoke, he lightheartedly ruffled Keith’s jet-black hair.

  Almost instantly, Keith’s anxiety plummeted, allowing his shallow breathing and racing heart to return to a manageable level. Now that he’d returned to a clear frame of mind, he realized just how  _ tired  _ he was. With Lance continuing to pet his head In such a  _ gentle  _ manner, Keith couldn’t keep himself from closing his eyes with a relaxed sigh. 

 The rest and relaxation were incredibly short-lived due to a sudden knock at the door. Now, Keith normally didn’t mind the other Paladins swinging by his room for a quick chat, but today was a little different than most other days. Today, he felt like a disgusting mess of disease and pain, and didn’t exactly want anyone (Aside from Lance) to see him in such a weakened state. Going down to the dining hall had been  _ more  _ than enough excitement for one day, what with all the lingering stares and whispers that were only the tiniest bit too loud.  However, despite his intense yearning for loneliness, Keith refused to speak up. 

  Lance  _ miraculously  _ happened to catch on to the expression of discomfort that graced Keith’s features, and opened the door only enough to poke his head out in the hall, purposely shielding the Red Paladin from the view of anyone who stood outside.

  It would have been a lie to say that he wasn’t surprised to see Pidge standing in front of the door. The last time Lance had spoken with her, she said that she would be researching for the remainder of the night. If that statement were true, then what business could she possibly have down here? 

  “ _ Lance!  _ I think I just dug up something you might find useful!” Pidge’s eyes were shimmering with joy, and she spoke incredibly quickly,  _ almost  _ too rapidly for Lance to properly comprehend. In her overwhelming excitement, she took hold of his hand, and harshly tugged the Blue Paladin out into the hallway alongside her.

  “Uh- What exactly did you find?” Lance inquired as Pidge continued to run down the hall, dragging him along with her.

  “Hunk and I have been searching the Med-bay since dinner, and I think we had have found something  _ better  _ than the medicine you gave to Keith earlier.” The Green Paladin paused for a moment, “He’s not afraid of needles, _ is he _ ?” Pidge turned loose of his hand, spinning around to face him.

   Lance didn’t know the honest answer to that question. While he  _ assumed  _ that the answer would be a short and simple  _ No,  _ he couldn’t be entirely sure. Keith seemed to have a rather high tolerance for pain, so a syringe needle shouldn’t even make him flinch,  _ right? _

  “I don't think so. If he is, I don't know about it.” Lance shrugged as he jammed his hands into his pockets, sticking his thumb through the belt-loop.

  “Well, it's the only option he's got, so he better toughen up.” Pidge smirked as she pushed open the heavy double-doors that lead into the medical area.

  The sight was  _ chaotic _ , to say the least. Almost all the cabinet doors were left wide open, countless bottles and containers resided on the countertops, and a trash-bag overflowing with vials of outdated medication that had spoiled a long while ago was slumped on the floor, dangerously close to letting it's contents roll out onto the ground

“Did a hurricane hit in here or something?” Lance let out a chuckle, it was amusing to him that two people could cause such a disastrous mess.

 “I guess it kinda looks like it, huh? But I promise we'll fix it.” Hunk responded as he emerged from one of the two side-closets, a bottle of strange, black fluid (Lance presumed that it was medicine) and a syringe resting in his left hand 

  “Did you finally find the 10ml?” Pidge spun around in an instant, her shoes squeaking against the tile flooring as she did so.

   “Mmhm,” Hunk nodded as he walked over to one of the counters and began to prepare his materials, “I was worried we'd have to do two doses of the 5ml.”

   Pidge nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything as she ventured over to the cabinets in order to store the medicines they'd tossed aside in their search. 

   Lance was confused, to say the least.  He had no background in the medical field, but his best assumption was that these numbers referred to the volume of the syringe.  He tried to keep his eye on Hunk, carefully watching his process of sheathing his hands in blue latex gloves and disinfecting the needle, along with a few other things. It was good to have at least _ some  _ knowledge, in case he was ever put on the spot and needed to give a safe, yet speedy, injection.

  “Lance, can you bring Keith down here? We need to get this medicine in him ASAP so it'll have a chance to get in his system before morning.” Pidge asked, not even bothering to turn her head away from her task at hand. 

   Lance, feeling a little unwanted seeing as neither of them were taking the time to have a proper conversation with him, wasted no time in getting out of there.  _ Okay _ . That wasn't the  _ only _ reason he left in such a hurry. To be absolutely honest, he moved quickly in order to reach Keith faster.  The sooner he got him down there, the sooner Hunk could get that injection in him. 

   When Lance pushed opened the door to Keith’s bedroom, his heart nearly leapt into his throat as he processed the sight before his eyes. Keith was merely a heap crumbled on the bed, clutching his stomach with tear-filled eyes. His body shook vigorously as he lifted his head, resting his pitiful gaze on Lance.

  Immediately, Lance’s heart shattered into pieces. Seeing Keith appear so helpless no only worried him, but sent a wave of sympathy crashing down upon his body with powerful force. 

   “ _ What’s wrong? _ ”  Lance bolted to Keith’s bedside, carelessly letting the door slam shut behind him with a thunderous bang. Keith rapidly shook his head, removing a clammy palm from his slightly bloated stomach, and tightly clamping it over his mouth. 

   Lance nodded in understanding, placing a hand on Keith’s back and rubbing small circles. His goal was to help the Red Paladin through the strong waves of nausea wracking his fragile frame, but it didn’t seem to help very much. 

   When the shaking and dry-heaving finally subsided, Lance automatically assumed that Keith had managed to fight his way through the worst of it, and began to remove his hand from the boy’s back. 

  “Are you okay n-” Lance’s question was cut off by Keith violently retching, his body lurching forward. The boy panted for a moment, his mouth rapidly beginning to fill with a salty tasting saliva. Letting out a groan, he attempted to scramble up off the bed, but only managed to pull himself to his knees before he gagged again. A thick slurry of bile spilled past his fingers, dripping down onto the blanket below. 

  Lance just continued his circular rubbing motions against Keith’s back and shoulders. Sure, it would have been a bit more clever to pull the wastebin over to the bedside, but there was really no point in it now. Keith had already made a mess of not only the bed, but himself as well.

   When his stomach was  _ finally  _ empty, Keith immediately burst into tears. He felt  _ nasty _ . Not only had his fever broken, leaving him coated in a hot, sticky sweat, but he’d also gotten vomit all down the front of his shirt. 

  “Aw, Keith! It’s okay!” Lance cooed, running a hand through Keith’s tangled, wet mess of hair. He knew that Keith must feel  _ awful  _ if he was crying  _ this  _ much. Until today, Lance had only seen him cry once or twice. 

  Crying did  _ not  _ suit the Red Paladin well. He was very far from being a beautiful crier; what with how much his nose ran, or how his face contorted into a look of utter pain. When added to being covered with sweat and vomit, it was impossible not to pity him.  

   “....You might feel a little better if you took a nice, warm bath. Those always help me.” Lance suggested as he continued to massage the boy’s violently trembling shoulder. 

  Keith agreed without a second thought,  _ anything  _ to help him feel clean again was a good idea. Only after he said yes did he realize how awkward it might be, seeing as Lance would probably have to stay in there in order to make sure he didn’t fall asleep in the bath and  _ drown _ , but he tried to force it towards the back of his mind. 

  Sniffling, Keith climbed up from the bed, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the fetid scent of vomit that clung to his clothing. Lance, however, didn’t seem to mind it at all. 

  Lance cautiously took hold of Keith’s clean hand, almost like he was afraid of the Red Paladin snapping his head off. Of course, Keith did no such thing. In fact, he soaked up the affection like a dry sponge; even going as far as to intertwine their fingers.

  Lance led Keith into the small bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, and gently guided down into a seated position on the closed toilet lid. The Red Paladin watched owlishly as Lance filled a small Dixie™ cup with water.

   “Here.” Lance handed him the cup, careful to make sure that nothing spilled onto the floor, “Rinse your mouth out while I find you some clothes. Does it matter what I get?” 

  Keith shook his head, taking a big gulp of the liquid. It was cold against the roof of his mouth, cold enough to make his body give a single, powerful twitch. Despite how frigid it was, he swished it around in his mouth until his teeth and tongue felt clean again, then -and only then- did he spit it out in the sink basin. 

   Once he was finished, he lifted his head in order to inspect his appearance in the mirror. Immediately, he cringed in complete repugnance. His face was nearly as white as paper, his nose and eyes were a deep shade of crimson, and his shirt -His  _ favourite shirt _ , mind you- was completely ruined by the mucusy vomit that coated the front. He pulled the shirt over his head, moving slowly and carefully so he wouldn’t get the mess all in his hair.  __

   It just so happened that Lance returned at that  _ exact  _ moment. To say that he was shocked would have been an understatement; you see, Lance hadn’t expected Keith to be so... _ toned.  _ They’d seen each other change in locker rooms, but this was  _ different _ . When they changed in front of each other for missions, it was always done very quickly since they had limited time; they had never really  _ focused  _ on each other (At least,  _ Lance _ hadn’t. He wasn’t sure about Keith.) Lance’s heartbeat began pounding ferociously in his chest, and his cheeks flushed about three shades darker than they should be. 

  “Uh...Lance?” Keith cocked his head to the side, arms moving to cross against his chest in an attempt to cover himself up. Sure, it made  _ sense  _ for Lance to stare at him, they  _ had  _ kissed after all. Then again, there was always the chance that Lance was only messing around when he’d done that, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched when you took Lance’s usual personality into consideration. Keith didn’t want to dwell on that thought for very long.

   Lance just shook his head, as if it would eject the rather  _ lascivious  _ thoughts about Keith from his mind. The next few seconds stretched by  _ painfully silent _ , leaving both boys staring at each other awkwardly. Lance just fumbled with the fabric of his shirt; stretching it out and picking at the threads with his manicured nails. 

  Keith just shook his head, and moved towards the bathtub. Once he’d reached the side, his legs collapsed beneath his exhausted frame. He thought for sure that his head was going to collide with the porcelain basin, and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, bracing for impact. Needless to say, he was rather surprised when warm arms suddenly encased his unclad torso, shielding him from injury.

  “Relax, Keith. Sit down for a second, I’ll handle it.” Lance murmured, slowly shifting Keith into a seating position against the wall. Keith just whimpered, holding his head in his hands as he tried to fight through the dizziness. 

  Lance made sure to keep an eye on the boy, watching him closely out of the corner of his eye as he proceeded to run water into the basin of the tub. Once the water began heating up, he tapped Keith’s shoulder with two of his slender fingers. “Can you stick your hand under the tap? I need to know if the water is warm enough.”

  Taking a shallow breath, Keith leaned forward and stuck his palm under the stream of water. It was pleasantly warm, heating his skin to a comfortable and relaxing level. 

  “That’s perfect…” He sighed, wiggling his fingers under the cascading water before he resumed his position against the bathroom wall.

   Lance nodded, plugging the drain with a chrome (Or a material resembling chrome) stopper, allowing the tub to fill with water. He patiently waited for it to fill to the brim before he ceased the flow of water.

  “Bubbles?” The Blue Paladin asked, turning his head to get a good view of Keith’s face, which seemed to light up upon hearing the question.

   “Bubbles. The Japanese Cherry Blossom scented one.” Keith said as he pointed to one of the many bottles of bubble-bath solution that lined the tub. 

   Lance was a little taken back. He’d never seen Keith as the type of person to own so many different shower gels and bath solutions, let alone ones with such aromatic fragrances; this was  _ his  _ thing. In fact, he owned some of the same bottles as Keith did (Though he preferred the fruity ones, while Keith seemed to favor the floral scents.) Instead of questioning it, he just unscrewed the cap and poured the substance into the bath, mixing it into the water using his hand. Once the bubbles started to foam up, the entire room smelled like sweet flowers. 

  “Alright.” Lance said as he climbed up from the floor, his knees popping as he stood, “Get in.

   Keith’s face quickly went a deep rosy color, wide grey eyes staring up at Lance in a confusing mix of shock and embarrassment. 

   “Can’t you -I don’t know-  _ turn around?”  _ Keith asked, impatiently tapping his fingers against his crossed arm.  While the acute harshness in the Red Paladin’s tone somewhat vexed Lance, it also reassured him in some obscure way; Keith  _ finally  _ gaining back his snappy attitude confirmed that he was feeling better. 

  Lance quickly obliged, spinning around on his heel, and facing the door. While he couldn’t see, he could still  _ hear.  _ The sounds of Keith unzipping his jeans was painfully loud in the quiet bathroom, compelling Lance’s imagination to switch into overdrive, conjuring up vivid images of what the Red Paladin’s bare body must look like. He tried to ignore the raunchy ideas circulating throughout his mind, and instead began to count the floor tiles.

  “...You can turn around now, Lance.” Keith quietly muttered as he slid down further beneath the steamy water. He didn’t really mind his visible chest, as Lance had seen him topless quite a few times, but he  _ was _ grateful that the bubbles obscured any possible view of his genitals. 

  Lance took his sweet time turning around, making sure his face had completely returned to its regular shade of brown. His efforts were -unfortunately- in vain. The second his eyes rested on Keith, the fierce blush returned to grace his facial features. 

  This deeply confused Keith. He couldn’t fathom why  _ Lance  _ would look ashamed when he wasn’t the one who was stripped naked and vulnerable. 

   “Do you want me to  _ stay-  _ or?” Lance asked as he anxiously ran a hand through his hair. He’d been a mess over  _ countless _ women, but this was the very first time he’d gotten so hot and bothered over a man. It was a little confusing, to say the least, but Keith  _ did  _ appear to be into it. When Lance kissed him, Keith  _ had  _ kissed back. Then again, the Red Paladin had been completely delirious at the time, he probably would have done anything if you asked nicely. 

   Now,  _ of course _ , Keith was into it. In fact, he was  _ so _ into it that he couldn’t bring himself to think straight, his mind was currently clouded with so many of these  _ thoughts  _ that he couldn’t control. It was for that single reason that he found himself nodding in agreement to Lance’s question rather than pushing him away. In all honesty, Keith not only Lance, but  _ himself  _ as well. 

  Lance didn’t object or attempt to pry into the boy’s reasoning. He just rolled with it despite being too flustered to produce a single coherent thought, and most likely wouldn’t be able to carry on a proper conversation (Though he figured that Keith would be too exhausted to talk anyway.) 

  In some ways, Lance was correct. Keith’s consciousness was fleeting, leaving him wavering between being wide-awake and half-asleep. Any other time, he would have allowed his body to do whatever it pleased, but -given the circumstances- he felt as if it might be awkward to doze off right now. There was a palpable tension in the room, so thick that it made Keith feel uneasy. The two boys would meet eyes, only to quickly look down at the floor, hearts pounding. 

  “Hey, what did Pidge need you for?” Keith asked, not even bothering to take his gaze off the floor. It was awkward to have a casual conversation in a situation like this, but he  _ had  _ to break the tension before he snapped. Which would be worse? Asking a slightly invasive question, or accidentally admitting all of his feelings in a confusing jumble of word vomit?

  “Uh-” Lance paused, his throat felt as if were closing up; he cleared it, and continued, “She had some medicine for you. A shot. I was supposed to bring you back down to the med-bay, but you- y’know.” He chose to be vague, afraid that he’d embarrass Keith if he was too detailed in his retelling of events. 

  Keith didn’t really pay attention to anything past the word “ _ Shot.”  _ It was a little humiliating for a person who was normally so stoic person to go completely pale at the mere  _ mention _ of a needle, but he couldn’t help it. Shots made him uncomfortable; they always had, and they (probably) always would. 

 “Something wrong?” Lance asked, cocking his head to the left in confusion. The Red Paladin has been completely fine only moments before, or he had at least  _ seemed  _ fine, what had gotten into him? 

 Keith nodded his head, drawing in a deep breath (Which was a little easier now that the steam from the bath had cleared his sinuses). He didn’t  _ want  _ to admit it, but he didn’t have a choice. Lance would be worried sick if he didn’t fess up. 

 “...Are you _scared_ of needles, or something?” Lance gave Keith a knowing smile, but didn’t dare to laugh. Sure, it was kind of funny for _Keith,_ of all people, to have Trypanophobia, but it wasn’t like he got to pick and choose his fears. 

  “ _ I’m not scared of them! _ ” Keith retorted, crossing his arms over his bare chest, “They just make me a little uncomfortable.” 

 Lance raised his eyebrows, clicking his tongue in a teasing manner, “C’mon, Mullet. I know fear when I see it!”. Despite the sing-song quality to his tone, Keith gave him an angry glare. Not wanting to cause trouble, Lance followed up his statement with, “I don’t understand why you’re so defensive about it. So what if you’re squeamish around needles? It’s not a big deal,  _ lots  _ of people are scared of them. Besides, I’m not gonna  _ force  _ you to get the shot. You look a little better, I think you’ll be fine without it.”

  Keith let out the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in. He could have forced himself to toughen up and accept the shot, but he couldn’t deny the relief that came with knowing that he wasn’t going to be forced into anything.

  “Any-anyway,  are you ready to get out? The water must be pretty cold by now.” Lance asked, nervously nibbling on his lip. There wasn’t a right way to ask this, at least in Lance’s mind. He was a little worried that it might sound as if he were rushing the Red Paladin, or worse, that he was anticipating this moment a little too much, and that it sounded as if he was eager to see Keith’s exposed body (Which wouldn’t really be a lie; Lance was a hot mess over Keith.) 

 Luckily for him, Keith didn’t pay much attention to the tone of Lance’s voice. He just nodded, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. He needed to get out anyway, regardless of how cold the water was. The bubbles in his bathwater were beginning to fade, which would make for an awkward moment. 

  “Do you- Do you need help getting out or anything? I mean, I don’t mind helping you if you’re dizzy. I won’t look, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Lance’s face grew redder and redder as he spoke, turning his skin a vibrant shade of cardinal. 

  “Lance, I’m good. I promise, can you just… _ leave? _ ” Keith rubbed his arm, pitifully looking up into Lance’s shining eyes. 

  “Of course, if it makes you more comfortable, I’ll leave. Change and come to my room when you’re ready, you can sleep in there tonight since you kind of defiled your own bed.” And with that, Lance was gone. He dropped this  _ bomb  _ on Keith, and  _ left.  _

 The thing was, Keith had never really shared a bed with anyone. He’d never crawled into bed with his father as a child after a particularly traumatizing nightmare, he’d had his own bed at the Garrison, and then he lived entirely on his own. Now his  _ first  _ experience with sharing a bed would be with Lance?  _ Lance _ , the angel of a man that Keith had been lusting after since day one in the Castle Of Lions? 

  It wasn’t that Keith  _ didn’t  _ want to share the bed with Lance, that was completely opposite of the truth. This is what he’d wanted for forever, he was just  _ scared _ . What if he did something wrong? Was it  _ awkward  _ to cuddle? Were his sleeping patterns considered weird? Would Lance laugh at him for mumbling in his sleep?  _ What if he accidentally said something about Lance while he rambled on in his sleep?  _ Lance would never let him live it down, and whatever chance at a relationship they had would be destroyed. 

   Keith groaned, rubbing his face in exasperation. He just couldn’t let himself get so panicked, he’d run the risk of snapping at Lance. He wasn’t sure  _ why  _ his immediate response to stress and anxiety was anger, but it always had been. It was probably something he should work towards fixing. Then again, he didn’t really have  _ time  _ to sit down and sort out every single problem he had. Lance had been away for a considerable amount of time, he was probably beginning to wonder about Keith’s whereabouts by now.

  Yanking the tub stopper up from the drain created a loud popping noise that echoed off the walls of the small room. Keith swayed a little as he stood up, and was forced to press his palm flat against the wall to refrain from falling. If he were to slip and knock himself out, Lance would be the one to collect his naked, unconscious body off the bathroom floor, which would make it impossible for Keith to ever look him in the eyes again. 

  Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward on shaky legs. The whole thing was oddly reminiscent of a fawn attempting to walk for the first time, legs wobbling dangerously, almost as if they were brittle twigs that would snap if he moved too quickly. Keith’s hand grasped around the doorknob, careful not to apply too much pressure to keep the door from opening, sending him crashing down onto the floor. Once he stabilized himself, he made his way over to the counter space where  Lance had placed the change of clothing meant for him (Which -surprisingly- were neatly folded.) They were an attractive shade of Monza with canary-colored buttons adorning the front. It didn’t look anything he had ever remembered owning, and assumed that it was the set of Altean pajamas designed specifically for the Red Paladin (Like the blue pair he’d often seen Lance wear.)

  The fabric felt soft and silky against his skin, he could see why Lance wore his so frequently. Staring at himself in the mirror, he smoothed the wrinkles in the shirt, admiring how nice the outfit looked on him. In fact, he looked so good that it would have been impossible to tell that he’d thrown up and cried only moments before; so long as you didn’t pay any mind to the dark circles, that is. 

 With heavily lidded eyes and sagging posture, he quickly brushed his teeth and hair in preparation for bed. By the time he was finished, he was so exhausted that he felt like curling up right there on the bathmat.

 Instead, he forced himself to shut off the light and exit the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Keith was a little surprised to find his bed stripped of all coverings, which meant that Lance must have tossed him in the wash. He cringed at the idea of someone touching his bile coated sheets and blanket, it felt unfair. He was (or he felt, at least) perfectly capable of cleaning up his own mess, he didn’t  _ need  _ someone waiting on him hand and foot. Sighing, he just shook his head and exited the room, kicking the door closed in frustration. 

  As Keith made his way down the hall, he felt like an innocent lamb marching off to a brutal slaughter. He knew -though the thoughts were buried so deep within him that they might as well not exist at all - that Lance wouldn’t do anything to purposely make him uncomfortable, but he  _ also  _ knew that Lance had a fondness for teasing. 

  When he opened Lance’s door, Keith was a bit shocked to find Lance already underneath the covers, a copy of “ _ The Outsiders _ ” resting in his hands. Just how much time had passed since they’d last spoken with one another? 

 “Oh good, you’re here! I was honestly a little worried that something bad happened.” Lance chirped, not even bothering to look up from the novel in his hands. 

 “Yeah...Sorry about that. I guess I blanked out for a second.” Keith brought his gaze down to the carpeted floor, scratching the back of the back with dirty nails. 

 Lance just placed his book face-down on the bed with a scoff, “Dude, don’t apologize. You’re good. You look pretty tired, though.” 

 Keith nodded.

“Do you want me to make you a pallet in the floor? Or are you comfortable with crawling up here with me?”

  Keith picked at his fingernails, unsure how to answer. Would Lance be weirded out if Keith agreed quickly? How long did he have to pretend to mull the idea over in his mind before his response was considered casual? 

  “Uh, Is it  _ alright  _ if I sleep with you? The floor doesn’t seem all that comfortable.” Keith asked quietly, looking up at Lance with large, hopeful eyes. In his mind, it sounded a bit more natural to provide a reasoning, along with reaffirming the permission he’d been granted; it just seemed polite to make sure.

 Lance laughed at the statement, shaking his head, “Would I have  _ asked  _ if I wasn’t okay with it? Crawl on in if you think it’s more comfortable. He slid over, pulling back the blankets and patting the open space in invitation. 

 There was a moment of hesitation from Keith, but he managed to will himself to walk forward before his stillness became suspicious. He melted against the sheets in the same way he’d done earlier that day, though it seemed far warmer and cozier than he had remembered. Maybe that was because he was honestly so tired that he could fall asleep against a brick wall. 

  Lance smiled down at the Red Paladin, contemplating whether or not he should forgo his usual setup of headphones and an eye-mask in favor of watching over Keith, just in case he happened to need something. Then again, Keith would throw a fit if he realized that Lance was altering his routine for  _ him.  _ So, Lance just continued as usual, sliding the mask over his eyes and the headphones over his ears before clicking the lights off, leaving the room in darkness. 

 Keith found all of this to be rather endearing. He had no idea that Lance had this whole “ritual”, let alone that it was so  _ wholesome _ . How utterly  _ pure  _ was it that Lance was  _ such  _ a light sleeper that he needed music to fall asleep? 

 His heart fluttered when he noticed that Lance was softly mumbling along to the song; his soft, plump lips in sync to every lyric. Keith didn’t know the song, nor could he make out exactly what the words were (He assumed it was Spanish since what little he managed to pick up on didn’t ring a bell as English) but he _did_ know that he liked the sound of the faint melody. The only issue? The singing was quiet, and without Lance’s cheerful voice, he was left alone with his thoughts again. 

  Keith sighed softly to himself as he rolled onto his left side, away from Lance. The tension was strong, and his head was swimming with a dozen panicked thoughts. A ferocious heartbeat pounded in his chest, so loud that he could clearly hear it’s rhythmic pulsating. While he knew that the only way to rid himself of the thoughts that plagued his mind (All of which concerned his fixation on Lance) would be to open up and confess, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was scared -No,  _ petrified -  _ of the idea. 

  It was impossible to keep in the small whine that burst past his cracked, pink lips as he rolled onto his back, gaze fixated on the ceiling.

  “Can’t sleep?” Lance’s voice nearly caused Keith to jump out of his skin. He’d honestly believed that the Blue Paladin to be asleep by now (or at least half-way asleep), and hadn’t really expected to hear another word from him for rest of the night. Keith didn’t know if he should be relieved. 

   “I -uh- yeah. I guess you could say that I’m a little bit of an insomniac.” It wasn’t a lie, Keith often had a difficult time falling asleep. It was just worse tonight due to all the anxieties swarming his mind. 

  “I can loan you these if you think it’ll help.” Lance offered, slipping the headphones off his head and holding them out towards Keith.

  “Oh no, It’s fine. Really. I just-”  Keith didn’t really know what to say. These anxious thoughts were like dense, murky waters crashing over his body in violent waves. Every time he tried to fight against the torrent, another wave would sweep him back under, getting salt water in his nose and eyes. He was  _ drowning  _ in panic; he wanted  _ out.  _ His chest was tight, and his stomach was in writhing knots. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take before he crumbled under the intense pressure, spilling everything, but he knew he was nearing his limit. 

  “Is there something wrong? Do I need to get you anything? Do you want Shiro?” Lance rolled onto his side, pushing up his eye-mask and propping himself up on his elbows. There was an astounding amount of worry in his tone, which only made Keith feel more pressured to spill everything.

  Body trembling vigorously, Keith opened and closed his dry mouth, trying to form the 

the quickest, simplest way of getting his words out before he imploded. 

  “I love you!” He finally blurted out without so much as a second thought towards the matter. It was only  _ after  _ he’d opened his  _ godforsaken mouth _ that the realisation hit him with the force of a freight train squealing down the tracks. A shaky gasp spilled from his still open mouth,  “I mean - I just - you  _ kissed  _ me _ ,  _ and I’ve wanted that  _ forever,  _ don’t get me wrong. I just don’t know if you  _ meant  _ it, and it’s eating me up inside. Lance,  _ please. _ ” Keith was panting by the time he’d finished his “speech”, and he thought for  _ sure  _ that he’d crumble under the stress, falling apart yet again. Tears were welling up fast, and it  _ scared  _ him. He couldn’t cry; not here, not now. He’d gotten this far, he wasn’t about to break down and ruin it all.

   “Woah, Keith, I-” Lance sighed, shaking his head out of frustration with himself for being unable to summon the proper words. Eventually, he settled on, “Calm down, it’s  _ okay.”  _ Sitting up, he brushed Keith’s hair out of his bright grey eyes.

 For some unknown reason, Keith found himself reaching up to tangle his arms around Lance’s neck, breath coming in strangled puffs as he fought back the overwhelming urge to cry (It would make three times in one day if he gave in, and he  _ couldn’t  _ allow it. He was supposed to be the  _ strong  _ one.)

  “M’sorry, I didn’t wa-wanna mess things up.” Keith sniffled, his voice betraying him as he spoke, “I should have stayed qui-quiet.” He clutched Lance’s shirt as a breathless sob wracked his body, twisting the fabric in his fists. 

   “ _ Shhh.. You’re okay, I promise. It’s alright…”  _ Lance cooed, running a warm hand up and down the length of Keith’s back in a gentle motion. He held him like this for a while, consoling him with soft murmurs until the sobs faded away to mere whimpers. Even then, Keith still refused to look up, opting to keep his face buried in Lance’s shoulder. He’d cried three times in one day, threw up twice, and confessed to his crush in the messiest way possible; it was all so humiliating.

   “Hey, Keith, can you look at me for just a minute?” Lance smoothed the Red Paladin’s thick hair, “Come on, let me see your pretty face.” 

   Keith complied, albeit a little reluctantly. He knew that whatever Lance was about to say must be important, which meant that this was either going to be a bittersweet let down, or a heartwarming acceptance. Either way, he was nervous,

  “Listen, I didn’t mean to scare you. As long as we’re being honest here: I panicked too. I guess that whole “rivalry” thing was my way of hiding my feelings. I was  _ scared,  _ Keith. I was embarrassed to love a guy as much as I love you.”

  There was a quiet moment of peace between the two as they gazed into each other’s eyes with warm smiles on their lips. For the first time in a long while, there was no awkward tension, or panicked heartbeats, there was just love. Passionate, mutual love. It made Keith feel safe, like he  _ belonged _ . And it was a feeling he wouldn’t give up for the world. 


End file.
